Salads that are internationally known asThai salads with a few exceptions fall into four main preparation methods. InThai cuisine these are calledyam, tam, lap andphla. A few other dishes can also be regarded as being a salad.
Thaisalads often do not have raw vegetables or fruit as their main ingredient but use mincedmeat,seafood, ornoodles instead. Similar to salads in the West, these dishes often have a souring agent, usually lime juice, and feature the addition of fresh herbs and other greens in their preparation. Thai salads are not served as entrées but are normally eaten as one of the main dishes in a Thai buffet-style meal, together withrice (depending on the region, this can beglutinous rice or non-glutinous rice) or the Thai rice noodle calledkhanom chin. Specialisedkhao tom kui (plain ricecongee) restaurants also serve a wide variety of Thai salads of theyam type as side dishes. Many Thai salads, for instance, the famoussom tam, are also eaten as a meal or snack on their own.[1]
Yam (ยำ,Thai pronunciation:[jām]) literally means "mix," but in Thai cuisine, it usually refers to a type of salad-like dishes in the culinary repertoire ofThailand.Yam can be made with a wide variety of ingredients as its main ingredient. Nearly any type ofprotein,vegetable,fruit,herb,spice, andnoodle, or combinations thereof, is possible. The main ingredient can be raw, pickled, fermented, sun-dried, smoked, steamed, parboiled, boiled, grilled, baked, stir-fried, deep-fried, or combinations. Besides the main ingredient, the basic recipe of ayam will nearly always contain sliced freshshallots oronions,fish sauce,lime juice,sugar, and fresh or driedchillies. When herbs are used, it is usuallyChinese celery, sometimes in combination with other fresh herbs such asspearmint,coriander leaves,spring onions andculantro.[2] Very often, sliced tomatoes are also added in, or finely sliced fresh spices such aslemongrass,ginger,galangal, orkhamin khao (lit. "white turmeric").
Yam pla duk fu, with the green mango dressing in a bowl on the side
Examples ofyam style salads areyam nuea yang with sliced grilled beef,yam khai dao with fried egg,yam tale with mixed seafood,yammu yo with a pork sausage resemblingliverwurst, oryam wunsen withglass noodles. Some yam salads can use only herbs, spices, and nuts as their main ingredient, such asyam takhrai met mamuang himaphan with sliced lemongrass and cashew nuts, or with stir-fried vegetables, such aswater mimosa inyam phak krachet. Depending on the salad, anything from crispy fried onions, crunchy nuts, or seeds to toasted coconut flakes can also be added to the mix to enhance the flavours, colours and textures. Also, in manyyam salads where the main ingredient is not meat, cooked minced pork can be added for extra savoryness, as often happens inyam wunsen (glass noodle salad). After one look at the menu of akhao tom kui (plain ricecongee) restaurant, it is clear that nearly any ingredient that one can imagine can be used to make ayam-style salad. To name a few:yam khai khem (salted duck eggs),yam kung chiang (dryChinese sweet pork sausage),yam mu krop (Chinese crispy pork), andyam phak kat dong (Chinese pickled cabbage). Theseyam that are eaten with plain rice congee tend to remain more simple in their preparation, containing only the basic "dressing" of lime juice, raw onion or shallot, chillies, sugar, and fish sauce in addition to the main ingredient, with only some celery added where needed.[3][4][5][6][7]
A few types ofyam need special mention as they differ somewhat from the basic recipe as mentioned above:
Yam naem khao thot (also known asnaem khluk) is a salad made from crushed, deep-fried ball-shapedcroquettes made from sticky rice and curry paste as the main ingredient, tossed together with shredded fermented pork sausage, mixed with peanuts, crushed dried chilies, lime juice, sliced shallots, and fresh herbs, and served with a selection of fresh greens and additional herbs on the side.[8]
Yam thawai is an elaborate salad made with chicken and a wide selection of vegetables, such as banana flowers, eggplant,string beans,bamboo shoots, andbean sprouts, blanched briefly in coconut milk, and then served together with a creamycurry-like dressing.[9]
Yam pla duk fu orpla duk fu yam mamuang is deep-fried flakedcatfish meat served with a dressing made withthinly sliced unripe mango, shallots, chillies, lime juice, sugar and fish sauce.[10]
Yam kung ten or justkung ten is a salad made with tiny translucent freshwater shrimp. The novelty of this dish is that a spicy lime dressing is first placed at the bottom of a bowl, which is then filled to the brim with the live shrimp and closed off with a lid when the lid is opened by an unsuspecting dinner guest, some of the small wriggling shrimp jump out of the bowl.Kung ten literally means "dancing shrimp". Shaking the bowl mixes the live shrimp with the sour dressing, which kills them.[11]
Northern Thaiyam do not follow the usual Thaiyam dressing in that they tend not to be sour. Many are soup-like in appearance and resemble cold vegetable, meat, or fish stews. They are made similarly to a salad, combining the separate (cold) ingredients into one dish with fresh herbs. A sauce made from boiled, fermented fish is often used as a flavouring.[12]
Yam som o, ayam made withpomelo, can utilise a different dressing altogether than a standardyam. As the pomelo, acitrus fruit is already naturally tart, the dressing can be sweet and/or creamy. It is, therefore, that recipes often make use ofpalm sugar,tamarind, and coconut milk to complement the taste of the pomelo.[13][14]
Yam salat is commonly used to denoteWestern salads inThai, usually to refer to salads that usemayonnaise in the dressing.[15]
Yam maeng da is made from grilledhorseshoe crab and only the eggs are eaten. It has a nutty and strong fishy taste.
The most famous, and for many also the original,tam (ตำ,pronounced[tām]), lit. "pounded") style salad issom tam, made from unripepapaya. The basic dressing for asom tam-style salad containsgarlic,palm sugar, lime juice,bird's-eye chillies,dried shrimp and fish sauce. This dressing is slightly pounded and mixed inside anearthenwaremortar using a wooden pestle. With certain kinds oftam, some or all of the additional ingredients will be pounded slightly if this helps release the flavours. Though with dishes such astam phonla mai (fruit) ortam mu yo (a sausage similar to liverwurst), the main ingredients are mixed in with the dressing. Many types oftam salads will also contain (sliced) tomatoes.[16]
Northern Thaitam are quite different altogether. Most of these dishes do not use lime, tamarind juice, or vinegar in their dressing, thereby lacking the sour element seen in many salads.Tam makhuea is made from mashed grilled eggplant, grilled shallots and garlic, roasted chillies, fish, andshrimp paste and served with mint and boiled egg. It is somewhat similar to othereggplant salads from around the world, such asbaba ghanoush. Further removed from what would still be viewed as a salad in the West is the northern Thaitam khanun, made with a mashed boiled whole babyjackfruit, dried chillies, minced pork stir-fried with a chilli paste,cherry tomatoes, freshkaffir lime leaves, and coriander leaves.[17] Another traditional salad from northern Thailand istam khai mot daeng, made with the eggs of thered ant.Phak phai (Vietnamese mint) is one of the more unusual herbs used in this salad.[18] Atam style salad from northern Thailand that is also famous in the rest of Thailand, istam som-o (pomelo salad), in which the slightly pounded flesh of a pomelo is mixed with garlic, sliced lemongrass, and a thick pungent black paste (nam pu) made from boiling down the juices and meat ofrice-paddy crabs.[19]
Lap orlarb (ลาบ,pronounced[lâːp]) is one of the internationally most well-known salads fromLaos. The spicy, sweet, and very tart style oflap from Laos and northeastern Thailand is made with a dressing of lime juice, fish sauce, ground dried chillies, sugar, and, very importantly,khao khua, ground dry roastedglutinous rice which gives this salad its specific nutty flavour. Coriander leaves and chopped spring onions finish off the dish.Lap is most commonly made with minced pork or minced chicken, but in Thailand,lap pla, with fish, is also popular.Nam tok is a derivative oflap where the meat is sliced and not minced.
Northern Thailap is a very different type of dish. As with the northern Thaitam, no souring agent is used in these dishes. Especially the versions using stir-fried minced meat (lap khua) more resemble a "normal" meat dish than a salad; but, as with salads, different ingredients, includingfresh herbs andspices, are freshly mixed to form the dish. Other versions of this northern Thai speciality use raw meat or fish.[20][21]
Phla (พล่า,pronounced[pʰlâː]) style salads can be made with a variety of proteins but not thoroughly cooked (rare to medium). Popularly used are pork (phla mu), prawns (phla kung) or beef (phla nuea). The basic dressing is very much the same as ayam but with a difference. In addition to the fish sauce, lime juice, chillies, and shallots or onions, aphla style salad will also always contain large amounts of thinly sliced lemongrass and mint. Additional fresh herbs, such as coriander leaves, can also be added to the mix. Some versions are made with grilled pork or beef,[22] other versions will also havenam phrik phao, a sweet roasted chilli paste mixed in with the dressing. This last version is popular withsquid (phla pla muek) and with prawns.[23]
The following dishes can also be regarded as salads:
Khanom chin sao nam is a kind ofnoodle salad using fresh Thai rice noodles calledkhanom chin, mixed in with thick coconut milk, chopped pineapple, garlic,bird's-eye chillies, ginger "au julienne", lime juice, fish sauce, and pounded dried shrimp.[24]
Mu kham wan ormu manao is a salad-like dish of sliced grilled pork over which a spicy and very sweet dressing made with lime juice, garlic, bird's-eye chillies, sugar and fish sauce is poured. This dressing is a generic Thainam chim (lit. "dipping sauce").[25] It is often served sprinkled with mint leaves and served together with thinly sliced rawChinese broccoli, which are made extra crispy by serving the sliced vegetable on a bed of ice.
Sa are salad-like dishes from northern Thailand which can use a similar chilli and spice paste as the northern Thailap, but with sliced raw shallots and garlic added into the dish. Two of the numerous variations aresa phli, which is made with uncooked slicedbanana flowers, andsa chin, with sliced rawbuffalo meat.[26][27]Sa taengkwa, made with cucumber, doesn't use thelap spice mix but instead a mix of shrimp paste, roasted, fermented soybean, and boiled fermented fish.[28]
Achat is the Thai version of theMalay andIndonesianpickle calledacar. Where the originalacar can be made with a whole range of vegetables, the Thai versions are limited to cucumber.Achat is often served in a small dish as a dipping sauce forsate,thot man pla (spicy Thaifish cakes), andpopia thot (deep-friedspring rolls).Taengkwa priao wan is a similar salad-like cucumber pickle.[29]
Sup no mai (lit. "bamboo-shoot salad") is a salad made by first boiling bamboo shoots,ya nang leaf juice and other ingredients together, after which the resulting salad is mixed with fresh herbs, sliced onions, and dried chillies.[30]
Khao yam pak tai (ข้าวยำปักษ์ใต้, lit. "southern Thai mixed rice") is one of the staples ofsouthern Thailand. It comes in many versions but the basic recipe for the most widespread variation involves mixing cold cooked rice with pieces or slices of unripe mango or pomelo, dried shrimp,budu sauce, bean sprouts, toasted coconut flakes, sliced lemongrass andkaffir lime leaves. Sometimes lime juice is added for additional tartness.[31]
Miang kham are small "salad" parcels made with the fresh peppery leaf of thechaphlu wrapped around a filling of toasted coconut, chopped lime, bird's-eye chillies, shallots, and ginger, which has been topped with a sweet and savoury sauce made from palm sugar and fish sauce. Variations include additional ingredients for the filling, such as dried shrimp, roasted peanuts, fried fish or meat, sliced lemongrass, and alternative ingredients for the sauce, such as tamarind,shrimp paste andgalangal. These bite-sized parcels are often eaten as a snack or appetiser.[32][33]
Nam tok mu is made with grilled pork, chilli powder, chopped shallots, ground roasted rice and lime juice.
Although not a salad as it doesn't involve mixing ingredients into a specific dish, the Thai tradition of serving a selection of fresh and boiled greens (often vegetables but also raw tree leaves, steamed mushrooms, or cooked pumpkin) together with a saucer or bowl ofnam phrik (Thai chilli paste), fits one of the typical characteristics of a salad, being cold vegetables with a "sauce" as an accompaniment to a meal.[34]
^"Namphrik ong".Northern Thai Information Center, Chiang Mai University Library. Library.cmu.ac.th. 2007-07-06. Archived fromthe original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved2014-06-28.
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